


The Werewolf's Very Lucky Plan

by SecondStarfall (beantiger)



Series: The Second Starfall Stories [24]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Developing Friendships, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Style, Fantasy, Female Friendship, Flash Fic, Friendship, Gen, Medieval, Microfic, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Werewolf Reveal, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22415860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beantiger/pseuds/SecondStarfall
Summary: "You could have said something, Simone. The queen married a dragon and a tulip-farmer. This is no less strange. You ought to learn to communicate." Marlesse sighed. "Hm. But I suppose everyone will believe me a hero now. For better or worse. Is the wolf-skin still in my chambers? It really does look so much like you."***An energetic girl helps the chief guard earn the respect of her peers.
Series: The Second Starfall Stories [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582975
Kudos: 5





	The Werewolf's Very Lucky Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This is a version of the original Twitterfic, same title, posted over at my now-deactivated personal account in January 2020. It has been given fairly moderate edits for consistency with other stories and readability on AO3. ❤️
> 
>  **RECOMMENDED RE-READING:** Here's the baby from ["To House A Wolf-child,"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22415641) all growed up.
> 
> ✨ [[see the full SecStar timeline](https://secondstarfall.com/index.php/Official_Timeline) | [check out the SecStar wiki](https://secondstarfall.com/)] ✨

As has been stated, Marlesse de la Mer headed the royal guard of Althussant under Queen Alexandrine's reign.

As has also been stated, the guard despised Marlesse at first, for reasons rational and irrational. 

She was at once too inexperienced and too stiff, too loud and too quiet, too soft and too cruel. You understand how these things are, reader, if you have ever found yourself in a position of power over the unfamiliar.

The castle's mistress of hounds had a daughter, however, who heard of Marlesse's plight and visited her in her office with a solution.

***

"I will not fight you," Marlesse said. "And I don't really see what that would prove."

Rocking back and forth on her heels and jittering, the mistress's daughter repeated: "Please, please, please."

Her name was Simone Hugo, and her wild eyes—gold in hue—unnerved most, including Marlesse. But Marlesse also held a deep affection for the girl, who was a bit younger than she, and bright with an intense, joyous energy. 

"I refuse to hurt you," Marlesse said, her smile sympathetic, her insides roiling with nausea. The very idea...

"You won't! You won't, you won't. It'll be pretend, see. And you'll look so brave."

"Brave? Attempting to kill a girl?"

"I won't be a girl!"

Marlesse felt she had missed something important. 

"Trust me," Simone added, leaning over the desk and nearly pressing her face against Marlesse's. "Trust me, trust me. Just don't tell Mama. Alright? Please?"

Her eagerness sparked something within Marlesse.

"If I go along with this," Marlesse acquiesced, "you have to promise me something: no more stalking me in the gardens." Laughing, she pushed Simone's head away gently. "I know you listen to me sing. And I know you've been taking my astronomy books, too. You can just ask me for them. I'm only human, my friend." 

Simone looked positively gleeful, like a newly-weaned pup.

***

That night, a full moon drifted above the patrol that Marlesse led, and the summery silver light illuminated the royal grounds. A hard breeze blew through, and the sound of scuttling leaves rose in the courtyard. The patrol, Marlesse included, sensed a presence.

Fingers quivering, Marlesse lifted her blade. Simone had told her to wait in the courtyard with a cluster of guards, but had given her few other instructions or details, and she feared violence—

But then something large, yowling, was upon them—

Marlesse reacted. 

Steel pierced flesh, or Marlesse thought it did: in the dark, the creature that had ambushed them caught the blade between its massive claws.

It winked.

Then it fell over with a scream like an old dog's.

***

Torchlight revealed the creature as—a wolf? Its tongue lolled out of its mouth, and it was still as the patrol surrounded it.

"A shifter!" said one guard.

"A skin-changer!" said another.

"Chief, you slaughtered that beast—no second thoughts," said a third. "By Auradou, by great Auradou—"

They all sounded breathless, their voices high-pitched. 

Marlesse blinked. "Calm yourselves, lads, girls—"

A cacophony rose among her fellows:

"We're cursed."

"Witches! Witches in the castle!"

"Is it breathing? Is the beast breathing?"

"There's no blood—"

"Oh, spirits help us—there wouldn't _be_ blood, they don't bleed natural-like."

An unusual glimmer arose in the eyes of the patrol as they all turned to Marlesse. She leaned in to examine the wolf's monstrous features.

"You aren't afraid of anything," one of the guards said. Pride softened her every word. "You're insane, Chief."

Marlesse ushered them off, and then she was alone with the corpse.

"Simone Hugo," Marlesse said, "you are lucky this worked."

The massive wolf opened one golden eye. Thumped its—her—tail.

"You could've said something, Simone. The queen married a dragon and a tulip-farmer. This is no less strange." Marlesse sighed. "Hm. But I suppose everyone will believe me a hero now. For better or worse. Is the wolf-skin still in my chambers? It really does look so much like you."

A nod.

"Well—thank you, Simone Hugo, wolf-child...I think. Now run off before my guard returns with the tanner and a mage and your mother, you silly dog."

Simone nibbled at her chin. Then the werewolf clambered up the courtyard walls with a profound agility Marlesse admired. Gold eyes blazing, Simone looked back once, gave a strange, canid salute, and blended into shadow. Grinning, Marlesse saluted in return.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment or a kudos or whatever the heck if this tickled your fancy. There shall be more! ❤️ Also, please let me know what other characters, relationships, or places you'd like to hear about. I have lots of ideas, but I'd enjoy writing a few stories for y'all as well.
> 
> ✨ [[see the full SecStar timeline](https://secondstarfall.com/index.php/Official_Timeline) | [check out the SecStar wiki](https://secondstarfall.com/)] ✨
> 
>  **AUTHOR'S COMMENTARY:** Simone is a very good werewolf who has had some interesting adventures and will have even MORE interesting adventures. All shall be revealed soon...ish? I'll get to it.


End file.
